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In this undated family photo Kendrec McDade, then a high school student is seen wearing his Aztecs Football team uniform. McDade was shot by police after being chased and making a move, reaching into his waistband, according to police. McDade Family File Photo

A federal lawsuit against the city of Pasadena and its police department alleges civil rights violations and wrongful death in the officer-involved shooting of unarmed black 19-year-old Kendrec McDade. An attorney who represents McDade's family filed the suit Tuesday.

The family's attorney alleges that Pasadena police acted unlawfully when they responded to an emergency call on March 24. At the end of the incident that followed, McDade was dead.

A 911 caller told police that McDade and a 17-year-old juvenile had robbed him at gunpoint. When police approached McDade they say he reached for his waistband and they shot him multiple times. But McDade was not carrying a gun.

The lawsuit names the police chief, the two officers who shot McDade and a detective. It refers to other officer-involved shootings, beatings and harassment of African-American men in Pasadena during the last three years, alleging that the police department routinely tries to cover up such incidents. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial to determine unspecified punitive and monetary damages.